The Impossible Dream
by mammamiaitsthalia
Summary: Din is trying to find The Child's kind, just as the Armorer instructed him to. With virtually no information on such a thing he heads to the Ilum system, a planet rumored to have mythical properties related to The Child's power. When the Child heals a woman on the brink of death, Din can't help but wonder if the universe is telling him where the Child really belongs: with him. .


_**Everything Changes**_

_Cold_. All that Alana could conjure up in her mind was that she was freezing cold. Obviously, she _knew_ she was bleeding out more and more as each second passed but her mind decided to focus on how cold she was. Not her crimson blood on the snow. Not the gaping hole down her chest. Just the cold.

She wondered, for a brief second, who might find her dead body. She wondered if she wouldn't be found until winter was over, after all the snow that would bury her was gone. It wouldn't be a pretty sight to see, but at least she'd be found.

She wondered if there was something better. After this.

She was getting closer now. She didn't see any damn light or feel like she was passing from one life to the next. She just...stopped hurting. She couldn't feel anything anymore.

She closed her eyes and that's when she realized she was crying. She said goodbye, to no one in particular, because she knew nobody would care.

_Goodbye_.

"You like that?" Din chuckled as he watched The Child fling up white fluff onto his little green head. The Child shuffled around the powder ecstatically, his giggles seeming to be neverending. "That's snow, kid. Not something you see very often here either." The Child seemed not to hear him, running towards the beginnings of a forest and stopping to swallow a handful of snow.

Din grunted in amusement, keeping a close eye on the baby. It had only been a matter of weeks since he left Cara and Greef on Navarro, and he was no closer to finding The Child's race than he was before. He considered finding somewhere, someplace the child could be safe so he could find work, but there was simply nowhere The Child could be left. He was _his _responsibility after all, and while he admittedly loved the thing, they had to find a new way to exist. To keep the child alive.

It was then that he broke out of his thoughts and realized, with a sinking feeling in his chest, that he couldn't see The Child anymore. With a burst of fright, Din dashed into the forest, sure his legs had never moved so fast.

He didn't have to go very far to find The Child; he was merely a few feet in front of him, cocking his head at a mass lying at his feet. Din hurriedly scooped him up and The Child squealed and squirmed, wanting desperately to be put back onto the ground. Din held onto him tighter and curiously examined the scene in front of him. Blood, a _lot_ of it, covering more than a foot of snow. A heap of light hair, so shimmery that it almost blended with the snow itself and would have had it been any whiter.

And attached to the hair, a woman. A woman's body, to be more specific. She was dead, he could see, and he needed to get The Child out of here before the animals came to finish her off and he was forced into a fight.

He had turned them around hastily when he heard it; a small, gaspy breath. He whipped around instantly and in his shock, The Child slipped out of his arms, slid down his leg, and was making his way over to the woman. Din followed curiously; had the child _done _this?

He immediately dismissed the thought, disgusted. He'd seen the Child do miraculous things. Terrifying, potentially disastrous things; but it had always been in self defense, or protection of those he loved. The Child wouldn't hurt a fly unless he had felt threatened— and he certainly wouldn't kill randomly.

He doubted the Child had been threatened; this woman looked as if she'd been here for a while.

Din let The Child stand at her side, and then himself kneeled down at the woman's head and lifted it onto his lap. To his utter surprise, she _was _alive. He had no idea how, but she was breathing, albeit shallowly. He watched as the Child placed a hand on her wounds and had a faint idea of what would happen next. He wondered if he was being irresponsible, letting him heal her, but he had a feeling they weren't in much danger.

The woman's eyes fluttered open-the brightest blue he had ever seen-but she wasn't looking at Din. She was focused on the Child, seemingly confused, as she watched her wounds close up under his little green hands. In a matter of seconds, her gaping hole was closed and Din watched the color return to her face when the Child fell to the ground, exhausted. Din hurriedly scooped him up, the Child gazing up at him lovingly and tiredly, when he heard a shuffle in the snow.

The woman was standing now, pulling apart the two pieces of her torn shirt in amazement. She grasped at her stomach, looking for the wounds that were no longer there with tears in her eyes. Din didn't know why, but he stayed in place, the Child gazing at him in confusion. Din watched, examined, waiting for the woman to say something.

She didn't. She turned to him with her big eyes and shaky hands, and then she looked at the Child in wonder.

"He healed you," Din explained, causing the woman to look up at him now. His heart skipped a beat; he had been lonely for female company, but that wasn't a new thing. He reasoned that this particular woman was exceptionally beautiful, and pushed the feeling away. "Whatever..._happened_ to you, it's gone now. You'll be alright." The woman blinked a few times and simply nodded at him.

The Child cooed and the woman beamed at him, beginning to walk towards them before she paused and glanced up at Din. Again, she said nothing, only pointed at the Child questioningly. Din was unsure of the meaning but stayed in place, confident she wouldn't harm them, and watched as she slowly approached and stroked the Child's ear as he cooed. She smiled at him and placed a loving kiss of thanks atop the Child's head before turning around to leave.

"Wait!" Din called out, taking a large step towards her. The woman froze and turned back around towards him, hugging herself in the cold air. Din came closer and although she couldn't see past his helmet, she could feel his eyes on her. Analyzing her. "Do you have anywhere to go?" The woman sucked in a breath in hesitation before slowly shaking her head "no".

The Child reached out to her with a whine, wanting her to hold him, but Din moved him farther away. He felt sympathy for her, sure, but he didn't trust her; and he certainly didn't want to risk her running off with the baby.

"What's your name?" Din proceeded cautiously. The woman's face fell and she lowered her head slightly, shaking her head "no" again. "No?" Din prodded. "You won't tell me your name?" The woman glanced up at him again with tears in her eyes and pointed to her throat prominently. She shook her head "no" again, and this time, Din thought he understood.

"You can't speak," he gathered, and the woman solemnly nodded in response. She lowered her hand and gave Din one last small smile, touched the baby's ear one last time, and turned back around to leave.

She tensed when she felt a large hand, covered in thin material, grasp her arm. She turned back around questioningly and pointed towards the other end of the forest.

"But you said you have nowhere to go," Din repeated, watching as her hand slowly lowered. He swallowed a gulp before he continued, "You can come have a meal with us. Just to have some time to figure out where you're going-and then you'll need to leave." The woman's eyes brightened and she seemed to be considering the offer for a long time when she finally nodded in agreement. Din let go of her arm and backed away. "Follow me," he told her, "Our ship's this way."

Alana hadn't been on a ship before. It was larger than she expected it to be and the Mandalorian kept it quite tidy. She felt out of place in her ragged and torn servant's outfit and her blood-stained hair, and she couldn't help but wonder why he had invited her onto his ship. He could have left her there to die in the snow, but had shown mercy.

She had heard things about Mandalorians before, and it didn't seem to add up. She was suspicious-especially when she noticed the baby-and that was the only reason she had agreed to eat with them. What if the baby was in danger? What if he was going to hurt him, or sell him?

He had saved her life, and she suddenly felt she owed some sort of debt to the little green thing.

"You can use the bathroom to wash up if you'd like," The Mandalorian offered as he shut the door to the ship behind her. "I don't have any clothes that will fit you though." Alana immediately shook her head and gestured to the kitchen area. She meant to eat, ensure the child was safe, and be on her way. She didn't know where she would go, but somewhere remote and safe. And lonely. Somewhere people wouldn't question why she couldn't speak.

"Well, have it your way then," the Mandalorian answered, setting the baby in a type of high chair and even pulling out the other chair for her to sit in. She let herself sit, and glanced around nervously as the Mando stood at the other end of the table, arms crossed over his chest as he seemed to be watching her, studying her.

She watched warily as he dished her and the baby both out some food—small amounts of meat of some sort—and her concentration almost broke when the baby began squealing and giggling in excitement.

The noise settled her nerves; if the babe was so happy, could he really be hurting him? He certainly didn't act as though he wanted to harm or sell the youngling. If anything, he was acting as a sort of father figure.

But she couldn't be sure, and she sure as hell wasn't leaving until she knew just exactly what was going on. Until she knew this sweet child was absolutely, wonderfully safe.

The Mandalorian pulled a smaller chair up to the other side of the table and sat across from her, no food for himself, and watched her gingerly pick out a tiny piece of meat and begin eating.

"I brought a pad of paper and a pen," the Mandalorian began, just as Alana started to let herself relax just the _tiniest _bit. He pushed the objects toward her and she swallowed, gently picking them up towards her. "I was thinking we could start with, well, your name?" Alana wanted desperately to search his eyes, face, anything to read him, and was getting increasingly frustrated that she couldn't.

With a sigh, she elegantly wrote the letters, _ a_ and passed the pad over to the Mando. She imagined what his eyes might look like reading it when his head moved back up, and she imagined he was now looking at her.

"Alana?" He questioned, setting the pad down and pushing it back towards her. Alana smiled and nodded at him as she heard his content sigh. So, they had found a way to communicate. That should make her interrogations a bit easier. "Alana. It suits you. Alright then-should we jump right into who left you to die or maybe start from the beginning?"

Alana raised an eyebrow at him—as if she'd tell him everything he ever wanted to know just like that, as if she was as easy as cake—when she heard a frustrated squeak to her right. She jumped and immediately was on her feet, analyzing if the baby was alright.

He was; he merely couldn't fit the large piece of meat into his tiny mouth. Alana wanted to laugh and her body shook as if she was, although no sound escaped her mute mouth. She reached over the baby's plate and took the meat out of his little hands, to his sounds of protest. She silently giggled and began tearing off pieces of meat. When she was done, she handed a small piece to him and he cooed with happiness and ate as fast as his hands would let him grab the next pieces.

She found the Mandalorian staring at her-or, at least she thought he was. His head was in her direction and line of view, and she couldn't be sure, but she had a feeling his eyes were boring into her that very second.

"Thank you," he finally responded, a hitch in his voice, "I didn't think to-"

Din stopped short when he saw Alana writing furiously on the pad and paper. With an angry tint to her eyes she threw it at him and he barely caught it.

_You should know better than to feed a baby something like that! He could choke and die! Haven't you ever cared for a little one?_

Din was effectively embarrassed. She had called him out, and he didn't love being called out. He was also amazed; she had helped the Child so selflessly and quickly, as if she needn't think about it at all. It was as if it was instinctual that she stepped in to help.

"No, um, I haven't," Din answered, while the Child then made a gurgling sound. He checked to make sure he wasn't choking before turning his attention back to his beautiful, enraged guest. "Not before this one, at least." Alana watched him warily, he noted, and he suddenly got the feeling that _she _didn't trust _him_. As if she had reason not to; they had saved her life and let her eat on the ship for goodness sakes.

_What's his name?_ Alana wrote. _And where did you get him? Is he yours? What species is he? Is this what Mandalorians all look like?_

Din chuckled at that last one and Alana's glare bored through his helmet and into his skull. He shook his head and immediately clarified, "As far as I know, the little one doesn't have a name. He was..a bounty I didn't return."

Alana cocked an eyebrow and Din shook his head.

"I'm not going to tell you anymore about where I got him," Din stressed sternly, "all you need to know is that I am in charge of his protection and I will do anything to ensure that he is safe." Alana searched his posture, the only thing she _could _search, trying to analyze the tones in his voice. She finally concluded that he seemed to be telling her the truth, and she insistently pointed to the last question again, to which the Mando laughed.

"He's not a Mandalorian," he clarified, "And we look like-well, like you." Alana seemed to accept this and nodded before scribbling down yet another question.

_Can I know your name? _It read, and Din hesitated. There were only a very few people in the entire galaxy who knew his name, and it was a name he was not supposed to go by.

"I don't go by a name anymore," he insisted. "I'm a Mandalorian-"

Alana interrupted him with a touch of her hand to his and incessantly nodded. _I know_, she wrote. _But I can't call you that. It seems..inhumane. If you let me call you by your name, I'll tell you everything you'd ever want or need to know._

Din thought about it for a while and finally, not daring to look up at her whispered, "It's Din. You can call me Din; in _private._" He heard a shuffling and looked up to see Alana grinning at him. She cocked her head and mouthed his name. _Din_. It sent shivers up his spine and he knew he had to change the conversation as quickly as possible.

Taking the Child, now finished with his dinner, out of his high chair and allowing him to fall asleep in his arms, Din asked, "Have you always been mute?" He watched Alana's smile fall at this and almost regretted the question. However, she did say she would tell him anything he wanted, and he had told her a wealthy amount of information already.

Alana didn't dare to look up at him when she shook her head _no_. Din inched forward a little bit closer and handed her a glass of water, embarrassed that he hadn't offered it earlier. She smiled graciously and downed the entire glass in one sip.

"How did you lose your voice? Are you sick or—is it gone permanently?" He had a feeling that it was a long story but Alana simply wrote, _A curse. Gone—permanently._ Din wasn't sure what to respond with. He wanted to grill her more, but the mood had taken a very somber turn and he was worried if he asked too much, she might feel too attacked. He didn't think she'd threaten him or the Child, let alone hurt either of them, but she was just brought back from the brink of death and maybe something in him wanted to be merciful.

They sat in silence as Alana continued eating slowly, staring down at her plate in silence. When she did look up at him again, she pushed her half-eaten plate towards him and gestured towards the meat, her head cocked, a question.

"Do you want me to eat that?" Din asked, eyes slanted in confusion, analyzing the situation. He often did that; forgot that people couldn't actually see his facial expressions. Alana shrugged and began scribbling quickly onto the pad of paper again, ripping out the used lines and setting them aside. When she passed it back to him, it read, _I figured there wasn't enough for all three of us. Isn't that why you aren't eating?_ Din smiled to himself, grateful that Alana couldn't see his hidden appreciation for her kindness

He wondered why she cared about him not being able to eat. It was touching.

"I don't eat in front of others," he admitted, the weight of the sleeping Child causing a kink in his arm as he shifted. "When we swear to the creed, no other living thing besides ourselves ever sees our face again. I take my food into my room, alone. After the child is asleep."

Alana seemed perplexed by this and it occurred to Din, right at that moment, just how odd their situation was. A man, who couldn't show his face. A woman who couldn't speak. And to top it off, a young child with incredible powers and a mysterious past.

The corner of the pad nudged Din's elbow and he glanced down to read it. _Has the Child never seen your face?_ It read simply but caused a perplexing dilemma within Din's mind. He didn't want to reveal too much; after all, he couldn't be sure who this woman was or where she came from. She was kind, sure, but that could be a ruse. Perhaps she was even sent here to bait him and the Child to help her so she could steal the babe away.

Or, perhaps she knew nothing of him or the Child. Perhaps she was just a woman in distress. Perhaps she had done something similar to him-left her own people, betrayed them. The truth was, Din had no idea. And he couldn't entertain the idea of her staying any longer if he couldn't be certain that he could trust her around the Child.

"Listen," Din began, sitting up straighter and clutching the Child tighter to him. "I think it's going to be best if you-"

Suddenly, Alana reached out and clutched his wrist desperately. Din was taken aback, and when he searched her features, he found fear written all over her face.

"Alana, what-"

She threw a finger up to her lips instantly, shushing him, her eyes boring into his, unknowingly to her. She released his wrist and gestured to her ear, and the touched the side of his helmet. When he didn't respond, she tapped her ear more urgently and then cupped it, as if she were listening.

Din understood. She wanted him to listen-to what? He hadn't the slightest idea. He tensed slightly and then he heard it; a rustling, very, very quiet, from the other end of his ship. How Alana heard it he'd never know, but he didn't have time to ponder it as she was out of her seat quickly and quietly, gesturing for him to stay put.

Din wasn't a very good listener; he followed closely behind her, hitting the button to the Child's hiding room and setting his sleeping body onto a blanket quickly, shutting the door fast so as not to lose Alana and yet still conceal the Child. He hated leaving him out of sight like that, but it would have to do. It was the safest place for him at the moment, besides leaving Alana to watch him, and he didn't trust her enough to let that happen.

He caught up with her and she stopped short, placing a hand on his armored stomach to stop him. He wasn't dumb enough to ask her verbally what was going on, but somehow she knew he was wondering. She looked at him quickly and then pointed to a hidden corner to their left. It was hard to make out, but there he was; a man, dressed in all black, lurking in the shadows. Din wondered if he was there for the Child or for Alana, but he didn't have anymore time to think when the man lurched suddenly and shot a blaster towards Alana's head.

Din instinctively pulled her down to dodge the blast and she clung to him tightly. Din was back on his feet in an instant and firing his own blaster, missing the masked stranger by barely an inch. Alana clung to the wall in fear, watching the battle ensue and planning an escape route should bad things turn worse for them.

Din bested the man, for a second; blasted him in the knee and knocked him over but he recovered quickly. Too quickly to be an amateur, that was certain. Din grunted in anger and narrowly avoided another blast while one hit his armor, leaving minimal damage but a long scuff mark.

Alana watched as more shots were fired and each man tried to get to the other's blaster when eventually, the masked man knocked down both of their blasters in one hit and pinned Din to the ground. She made to scream out to him before remembering he couldn't hear her.

"Give me the Child, Mando," the stranger hissed, whipping out a small knife and desperately searching for any kind of tear or break in Din's armor, "Give him to me and I'll let you and the lady live." Alana blinked; he was here for the _baby_? What in the galaxy did this man want with Din's youngling?

Din regained control swiftly and a battle of hands began. Swiping, sliding, punching, ducking for endless moments. The fighters were too evenly matched, and Din was unsure how either of them would best the other again.

That's when he heard it; a small, tired yawn from behind them. He turned around for just a brief second when he was struck in the back of his neck by a sharp elbow. He fell to his knees and barely saw a pair of legs run after the Child. He lunged at the stranger and hardly missed him with an angsty yell. Din hopped onto his feet quickly, his neck stinging, as he saw the stranger approach the Child.

Alana saw her opportunity; she leapt in front of her little green friend, standing her ground in between him and the masked stranger. She watched Din get on his feet out of the corner of her eye, coming up behind the man, when the stranger shot a blast his way from Din's own discarded blaster.

Din dodged it, but barely.

_Damn it! _Din had forgotten all about the blasters in the fight and now clenched his fists, unable to get any closer without being shot.

"Yeah that's right," the stranger chuckled, tightening his grip on the blaster without taking his eyes off of Alana. "You stay right there, Mando."

Alana felt the youngling's hands wind around her legs and his curious little head poke around her. She pushed him back gently with her foot, ensuring he stayed directly behind her. He stayed put, but didn't remove his hands. Din watched the encounter peculiarly, appalled at Alana's protectiveness over the Child.

"They didn't tell me you were travelling with a partner," the man interrogated, walking closer to Alana. She tensed, but held her ground, not letting her eyes leave his dark, evil ones. She'd seen eyes like his before and it only enraged her further. Those eyes of his lit up suddenly and Alana's stomach sank in fear, wondering what could have caused the sudden excitement.

"Actually, though," the man continued on, toying with the two of them, "I did hear about a young slave girl, Mando. Escaped from the First Order this morning; perhaps I could bring in _two _bounties today." Alana blanched and looked over to Din guiltily-and that was all the answer Din needed; she was _that _girl. "Step aside, sweetheart; no need for someone like _you _to get hurt."

She knew what he meant by "someone like you" and it pissed her off all the more. Alana had never been violent; but she knew she could. And if he came any closer to the youngling, she would be.

He sauntered towards the two of them and she shoved him back with her hands, hard. Din watched urgently, taking the opportunty of his distraction to take a step closer. If he went slow enough, he wouldn't know until Din was right behind him. Alana noticed the move and sent him an acknowleding gaze. The two were officially working together now.

"Well that was just mean," the man countered, a scary and dangerous edge to his tone of voice, "You're going to let me have the Child, or I'm going to kill him right in _front _of you."

That was enough for Alana to snap, apparently, because she whipped a slim metal object out of her pants and gripped it tightly. The man's face went pale and he looked back into her eyes.

"That can't be what I think it is-"

In one swiping move, Alana nudged the youngling off of her legs and slid him carefully to the side. He squealed, but she knew he wasn't hurt and she didn't dare take her eyes off of the stranger. She pushed the button on her weapon-the lightsaber she had stolen mere days ago-and the blue light shined in front of their faces.

Din held in a gasp; he had never seen anything like it before, but from the tense stance of their intruder, _he _knew exactly what the weapon was. In an instant, the man fired his blaster at Alana and she swiped it away with the weapon, daring to edge closer to him.

The dance continued for a while; him shooting, her defending, until she gathered up the courage to take the upper hand and swiped at his shooting arm, cutting it clear off as he screamed in agony. She forced the man right into Din, lightsaber at his throat. Din promptly grabbed him from behind and recovered his blaster, shooting him square in the head and effectively ending his life. Certain the man was dead, Din shoved the body off of him and Alana switched off her weapon.

It was then that he noticed the Child was crying, frightened by all of the fighting. He and Alana shared a glance, as much as they could with a helmet in the way, and rushed over to where he sat. Alana scooped him up into her arms, cradling him to her chest. His cries stopped almost instantly as he grabbed at her shirt, burying his little face in it. Her and Din looked at each other, although she couldn't tell where his eyes were actually studying.

"You saved the Child," Din commented, watching her blue eyes well up with tears. She only nodded at him, bouncing the Child softly. Din needed more confirmation and asked a simple, "Why?"

She paused her movements and looked at him with such intensity that he felt uncomfortable. In response she turned away, and placed a tender kiss on the Child's head. He hummed in content and she was smiling as she stroked him gently, much like a mother to her own baby.

Din was certain that if she protected the Child now, she would do it again. He didn't know why, or how, but he imagined she had been quite taken with the Child when he rescued her from death, much like Greef had before.

"We have to leave," Din told her, watching as her face moved slowly back to his. She nodded in understanding, handing him the youngling tenderly and getting to her feet. She knew what he was really saying; _she _had to leave now. She had expected it, after the man had outed her as being from the First Order. Granted, he wasn't correct, but he wasn't entirely incorrect either. It didn't matter; she would force anyone affiliated with the First Order out as well.

But Din surprised her; he grasped her hand firmly and she looked down at him in confusion.

"Come with us," he offered very seriously, much to Alana's shock. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak, frustrated that she couldn't. She didn't want to put the youngling in anymore danger than it seemed he was already in, so she shook her head. She refused.

"Please," Din begged, standing himself to level more with her. "Look-you care about the Child. Right?" Alana furrowed her brows but nodded, peering down at the baby. He was blinking up at her, switching his gaze back and forth from her to Din. She did care for the baby; after all, that's all he was. A baby. A helpless, albeit _special _little thing. And she loved him. She wondered how anybody wouldn't love him.

"And you protected him," Din noted again. "So please-come with us. I could use another set of hands and eyes protecting him. And you have nowhere else to go-right?" Alana confirmed it with her nods and he pressured again, "Then come with us. I'll take care of you, I'll hide you from-whomever it is you're hiding from."

Alana wanted to know if he truly meant it, but couldn't search his face for confirmation. With a stern look she walked away, gesturing for him to follow her. He did eagerly and she led them back into the kitchen, where she began writing very quickly on their pad and paper. Din became nervous; it wasn't very often that the threat he dealt with was an angry woman, after all. When she was done writing, she turned to him and gingerly handed him the single piece of paper.

_There are things you should know about me first,_ it said, _you may not want me to come after you know them. _

Din had considered that; after all, the stranger _had _told him that she was a slave for the First Order. But then again, that didn't necessarily mean that she was _with _the First Order.

"We don't have time for a confessional," Din urged, "We have to go or there could be others. Just say you'll come, and we'll work all of this out tomorrow."

Alana considered it; she didn't doubt her own safety, but she wondered if she'd put the Child in further peril. She began writing again, much to Din's dismay and annoyance, but he was relieved when he read her words.

_Can you keep the Child safe if anybody comes after me? _She questioned, big eyes fixated on him. He didn't know the answer; but he was certain _they _could keep the Child safe. Together.

"We both can," he replied, "But I want to know what that weapon is." He imagined she was laughing when her body shook with a smile and she nodded.

"Does that mean you're coming with us?" Din confirmed.

With a small stroke of the Child's ear, Alana looked up to Din and nodded.


End file.
